Go Ds

Tbh I can easily see it going either way. I just looked at a bookmakers market for next year. We're 67 dollars, as is Port, and four teams are priced longer. Carlton is a little shorter. Already that's 11 rather than 16 teams. Anyway I hope coaches and players have genuinely stopped falling for this complacency -inducing 'easybeat' nonsense. (And I doubt the yearly 'snakes and ladders' will suddenly stop.)

Surely West Coast. But while in the first month supporters and board members might expect their teams to beat WCE the same as with every club every year they may possibly improve a lot over summer. (It's plain silly to already declare a team bottom 2 so far out.)

It can't be overstated how much of footy takes place between the ears. Sure, players won't suddenly become faster, stronger or better with their motor skills cos of a few pep talks. But they might have better preseasons and be prepared to go that little bit harder and have more confidence in themselves and their teammates. THIS is where I'm really hoping to see change next year.

Yep, big difference between Swans, Eagles and Hawks.

Surely no team is already certain they'll beat us next year, especially this far out. I'm sure sometimes in May/June a guaranteed finalist sees a stretch in their fixture where they play struggling teams and decide to have a mini preseason. But often in the early rounds a lousy team announce themselves with a surprise win. It'd be frustrating enough for the opposition wondering theyre losing badly midgame without putting extra pressure on themselves unaware this easybeat is now their equal. (And as people have said we beat some good teams last, lost all the close ones and probably lots of unresolved issues behind closed. I'm not sure losing our underperforming stars can't at least be countered to some extent.)

Nothing groundbreaking - it's almost impossible to tell. Some players will improve - maybe some surprisingly so, some may regain form , some may lose form. It might be that our players skills, fitness and physical strengths and limitations are the same as this year. But the team will feel different and obviously it's a different coach. If players were (or felt they were ) being held back what's to say some of our players will have a new lease on life. All I know is every year at least 3 non-finalists go back into the 8 and sometimes it's a real surprise packet. All will be revealed in time

It's interesting how we look at a player's finals performances. Obviously a team must play well in finals and each player having an off day makes that so much harder. But the opposite would also be annoying. Just imagine a player whose H&A mediocrity 'helped' keep his team out if finals for years who ironically would have improved lengths in finals but never got to prove this. That's extreme but certainly a consistent player all year long is usually better. Was it Gary Rohan who finally came good in finals. I'm sure some players are so naturally nervous theyd never cope with finals. But no guarantees Weddell is one of 'em.

We almost did it - from 16th and last to premiers would have been miraculous!

Seinfeld had the Big Salad. This was a big word salad. It kinda looks right but you just know it's as good as cliched and in reality it's not accurate right now and certainly won't be next year.

It's interesting how often our recruiters have tried to re-home top ten draft picks that haven't remotely realised their potential at their first club (such as Billings and Schache and plenty more). I've kept thinking it made sense doing this and we've just been unlucky. But if you look back over many drafts this strategy just hasnt worked for clubs. The recycled players that work either already showed promise or were later picks. Hopefully we stop this strategy. BTW this old article helps illustrate my point. It's also interesting how often a top 10 pick turns out to be ordinary. https://www.afl.com.au/news/1062048/national-draft-your-clubs-top-10-picks-where-are-they-now-history-picks-no1

I'm the Melbourne training soccer ball and I approve this message.😂

I kinda agree with you. But didnt Brisbane end up (only) 5th or 6th that year? Admittedly a lot of the footy media are there because they used to play footy well or wrote well enough to get into Journalism. Often , especially the past players, they can recognise talent. But, yeah, there are probably better prognosticators well versed in statistical analysis or armed with lits of inside information . We'll probably find out anyway but we don't know just how much some of our players havw been playing with injuries AND we certainly don't know how much Goody, Mark Williams, Tracc, Oliver, May or others might have been dragging down team morale or making it harder for individual players recently. At the very least next year will be interesting.

Would the circumstances that affected Jurrah's career be the same obstacle for his children? BTW while we haven't mentioned it if he has a daughter similar to him she'd be exciting to watch in the AFLW.

I love Gawn plus his anecdotes. But for all sorts of reasons, like Goody's pressers, I think he's very safe and diplomatic with answers about players, teams and the AFL admin and the overall sport. It's a pity but comments that May and Langdon said about Collingwood ( as well as Ginnivan about Port Adelaide) backfired. It is all kinds boring but it's the same as in our lives that if unexpectedly suddenly someone we treated badly is now our customer or superior or whatever we would regret our past misdemeanors. I don't know how good Gawn and Trac's relationship is now. But best if Trac comes to the premiership reunions, Trac isnt BOG whenever we play GC, and if Gawn still has a strong connection with our club after retiring Tracc has no problems having that too. While i kinda would love to know what Gawn really thinks about our recent seasons and the 'culprits' it's probably for the best he tells white lies or doesnt reveal much at all.

Doesn't it depend on what's in those drinks?